Golfers are particularly interested in knowing the distance from their ball to the green on a fairway. This information not only assists a golfer in selecting the proper club for the next shot but it also informs a golfer of the distance he or she achieved on the previous shot.
Typical distance markers used on golf course fairways include stakes placed in the rough on the sides of the fairway. Stakes are not always readily visible. Some courses use a flat disk in the fairway which is flush with the ground, but these disks are not very visible unless a golfer is very close to them.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,940 describes a golf course distance marker for mounting in the ground in a fairway. The marker includes a flat strip which can be deflected forwardly or rearwardly against the ground when a fairway mower passes over it. The flat strip has an enlarged anchor (e.g., concrete) at its lower end which is buried in the ground. The upper end of the thin flat strip extends above the ground and indicates the distance from the marker to the green. However, a severe limitation or disadvantage of such marker strip is that it can only be deflected in a direction perpendicular to the flat face of the strip, i.e., the strip can only be deflected downwardly when a mower approaches the marker strip perpendicular to one of the large flat faces of the strip. If a mower encounters the flat strip from any other angle, the strip would be broken off or mangled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,149 describes a golf course distance marker for mounting in a fairway. The marker includes a flat strip which is mounted in a plastic tube. The lower end of the strip is connected to the lower end of the tube by means of a bolt passing through the strip and the tube. The strip includes an enlarged hole for the bolt so that the strip can be rotated about 90.degree. in each direction relative to the bolt.
Although the presence of the enlarged hole in the flat strip may allow the strip a certain degree of rotational movement relative to the bolt, such feature does not enable the strip to completely rotate relative to the anchor. Furthermore, dirt and debris can easily enter into the tube in which the flat strip is anchored, because the top end of the tube is open. As dirt and debris build up in the tube, this will severely restrict or prevent the flat marker strip from being able to rotate relative to the mounting bolt. As a result, when a mower encounters the marker strip at an angle which is not perpendicular to the large flat surfaces of the strip, the strip may break or become damaged by the mower. Furthermore, it appears that it would be necessary to remove the anchoring tube from the ground in order to loosen the bolt and install a new marker strip whenever the original strip becomes broken or damaged. Also, repeated flexing of the flat metal or plastic strip can lead to fatigue and eventual breaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,530 describes a resilient plastic post which is used as a roadway marking post. The post consists of an outer resilient tube and an inner resilient tube. The post is intended to bend when struck by a motor vehicle. Such post would not be suitable for use as a golf course distance marker because it still extends above the ground a certain amount even when it is struck by a vehicle. A mower could still cause damage to the post even though the post deflects when it is struck.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,133 describes a boundary marker which comprises a rigid stake or post whose lower end is connected to an anchor in the ground by means of a coiled spring. Such marker is not intended to lie flat against the ground when it is struck. Consequently, a mower could become damaged by attempting to pass over the marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,175 describes a marker post which includes a lower end which is connected to an anchor in the ground by means of a coiled spring. Although the post can be flexed when impacted, the post would still extend above the ground where it could damage a mower passing over it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,567 describes a roadway marking post comprising a flexible plastic tube which is connected to an anchor tube in the ground. This post would not be suitable for use as a golf course distance marker because it would still extend above the ground a certain amount when struck by a vehicle such as a mower. This could lead to damage to the mower.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,678 describes a marker post system for a golf course. The marker post is rigid and is removable from the ground, e.g., to enable a mower to pass over the anchor plate. The post does not flex or deflect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,766 describes a moveable device which is plastic post fastened to a rigid conical base. The base includes an anchoring extension for insertion into a hole in the ground. Such a post would not be suitable for a fairway distance marker in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,166 describes a base support for a flag. The support can be attached to a sprinkler unit on a golf course to prevent operators of heavy equipment from hitting or running over the sprinkler unit. After the golf course construction is complete, the flag holder insert is removed and replaced with a yardage marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,236 describes an a impact resistant marker for highway marking. A post is connected to a base by means of a flexible element. The post is not designed or intended to lie flat against the ground when passed over by a mower, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,939,968 describes a flexible post for supporting barriers, sign posts, etc. The post includes a resilient tubular element reinforced with a coiled spring. A concrete anchor is placed in the ground and a cable extends through the length of the tubular element to the anchor. Although this post will deflect when struck, it was not designed or intended for use as a fairway distance marker.
There has not heretofore been provided a distance marker system for use in a golf course fairway which has the features and advantages provided by the present invention.